With ‘What If? 2’, Randall Munroe Is Again to Reply Your Unattainable Questions

I used to be first simply studying about how MRIs have gotten actually large magnets in them, and pondering: I do know that the magnetic subject extends out away from them. It may well’t lengthen out ceaselessly, as a result of after I drop my keys, they don’t go flying off to the closest MRI.

So the primary query is: How far out does that magnetic subject go? That I may work out by taking a look at MRI manuals. I used to be studying by means of these guides, and so they have been like: “When you’ve got this sort of gear, it’s worthwhile to put it this far-off. And in case you have this sort of gear, it must be this far-off. Right here’s a diagram displaying the zones across the machine the place you shouldn’t have any magnetic tape gear. You’ll be able to’t have bank cards inside this distance.” After which it will point out that this far out, you may get interference with delicate magnetic sensors.

That was neat, simply realizing that in a hospital, you may need a number of completely different gear, so there’s an entire sophisticated course of for determining what can go how near an MRI … after which I’d simply begin Googling “helicopter MRI,” “MRI helicopter report,” attempting to determine: Has this ever come up? After which was type of stunned to seek out that there was an incident report.

Is there something not too long ago that you simply’ve learn that has actually excited you, that you simply want extra folks knew about?

I really feel like all I’m is a pile of info that I’m excited to inform folks about. There was a chapter on disintegrating a block of iron. Somebody was like: “What if I vaporize a block of iron in my yard? What penalties does which have?”

I do know that in the event you vaporize iron it’ll react with the oxygen within the air and type iron oxide, which is able to precipitate out into little particles that float round. However I don’t know what that does. Is that good? Is that dangerous?

And so I ended up getting in contact with an knowledgeable in iron transport within the ambiance, Natalie Mahowald, who labored on the IPCC Climate report. I requested: “Okay, what occurs in the event you simply inject a bunch of iron into the air?” Which seems to be an fascinating query that they’ve checked out for local weather and ocean fertilization causes. One thing she mentioned that caught out was: “In case you stay downwind, and this iron vapor comes by means of and also you breathe it, it’ll be dangerous for you.”

And I requested: “Is that as a result of it’s a steel? Is it poisonous? Is it dangerous on your lungs?”

She mentioned one thing alongside the strains of: “It’s not that it’s a steel, it’s simply that your lungs are presupposed to breathe air. And there’s simply not lots of particulates you’ll be able to breathe in which can be good for you.”

Huh! It doesn’t actually matter what it’s. It’s simply not air.

It’s humorous how typically that’s come up since then. We consider toxins, or we take into consideration how these chemical substances are dangerous for you, or these substances are dangerous for you. However ever since I noticed it framed that manner, I’ve realized what number of completely different areas of life the place the query of, “Are these small particles that you simply’re inhaling dangerous for you?” has, repeatedly, the reply of, “Something that is not air will not be nice for you.”